Originally Posted by
WillCAD
And what about those with service dogs? All of their possessions go through the x-ray, but they get hand swabbed anyway.
The dog doesn't go through x-ray or the imager, only the WTMD. The policy is a response to a threat of devices being placed in the dog.
It's particularly a pain when flying with a connection, if the animal needs to be relieved. Except for the few airports with pet areas air side, you have to go ground side and get screened/swabbed again. On the plus side, every checkpoint I've gone through with my dog has been very efficient and professional about the swab.